It’s not unusual for teens to grow up with complicated problems
because of their parents’ divorce. In Susan Beth Pfeffer’s short story
“Ashes”, the reader is introduced to a young girl named Ashleigh who
struggles with family problems. In this story Ashes has to make a
tough decision that decides who she loves and trusts more. Ashleigh
has to go through some problems due to her parents’ divorce; she
doesn’t get to see her dad too often. Ashleigh has to choose if she
wants to take her mother’s emergency money to make her dad happy, or
leave her mother’s emergency money alone have her dad be disappointed.
Her experience with choosing sides with one of her parents makes the
reader think about how and why we make decisions that ultimately shape
our lives.
As the story progresses the author shows us how complicated ashes
relationship is with her father. Ashleigh doesn’t see her father that
often, in the beginning of the story she says, “That winter, it felt
like every time I saw my father, the sun cast off just a little more
warmth then it had the day before” this really shows that she was so
liberated to see him. After that she starts getting different feelings
about him because he starts acting different and strange. Then ashes
says, “A couple days later, when dad forgot to pick me up at school,
or didn’t have the money for the class trip or got all his favorite
Chinese and none of moms and mine, I thought maybe mom was right, and
dad did just call me Ashes just to annoy me”. This really shows her
dad lacks an interest in his family. He is being very selfish and he
just isn’t acting like a loving father. He then starts giving her
compliments like, “you could be a model, have you thought about that
Ashes, Modeling?” Ashleigh starts to get a little confused because he
was being rude and now all of a sudden her father is acting like he
loves her. Ashes doesn’t really feel like her father’s love is real
and it’s starting to confuse her.
As the story progresses the author shows us how Ashes realizes how
important her mother is in her life. Ashleigh’s father is very
confusing and not too smart; Ashleigh’s mother on the other hand is a
very stable, smart, and logical woman. Ashleigh says that, “she’s the
most practical person I know, always putting aside for a rainy day”.
This really shows that Ashleigh looks up to her mother and thinks she
is always prepared for the worst. It shows Ashes also feels very safe
and secure because her mother’s always ready for anything. Ashleigh
also says, “With mom there are a lot of rainy days and she takes a
grim sort of pleasure in being ready for them”. This shows that her
mom is the opposite of her dad, her mother’s always prepared and
strict for the sake of her daughter but Ashleigh’s dad is never ready
for anything and just tries to kiss up to her than uses her. Ashes
just feels more protected with her mother, not her father. Finally
when Ashleigh goes up to the apartment to “borrow” her mother’s money
for her dad she stops and thinks about what she is doing. She says,
“The apartment was quiet, it always felt a little colder when mom
wasn’t there. I stood over the teapot and stared at the money”. This
shows that Ashleigh is really thinking hard about how her choice can
affect a lot. She is saying that it feels empty and cold without her
mother home. If she takes her moms money something bad could happen
and her mom might need the money but it won’t be there. If she doesn’t
take the money something might happen to her dad because he has to pay
someone. Ashleigh has a hard decision to make and she doesn’t know
what to do.
All in all this short story really helps readers see that people’s
lives can be complicated, it’s all about making the right decision and
helping the right people. It was really hard for Ashleigh he has to
choose from two people she admires a lot. This book also helps readers
see how important family can be. This short story was very interesting
and plot twisting that’s why I really love it. In the end you don’t
know who Ashleigh picks and it really makes you curious, you start
thinking about your life and who you would pick if you were in her
situation. Ashleigh has to choose her father’s “love” or her mother’s
stability. All the pressure is on Ashleigh to choose her mother or her
father.
